Merrill DNA Project- Background

Background

The Merrill DNA Project seeks to explore and document Merrill and Merrell diversity through DNA testing and sharing of information. Other variant spellings are welcome.
 
All males named Merrill or Merrell (or variant spellings) are welcome to join the project, even if they know nothing about their Merrill ancestry. Female descendants can have a male Merrill relative (a brother, father, cousin, etc) tested as a representative of their Merrill line. We recommend that everyone test for 37 markers if possible (rather than 12 or 25), which provides the best comparisons with others in the project. If you have tested with FTDNA, but are not yet a member of this project, click on the 'Join Request' tab above.

The FTDNA Merrill project was established in Aug '05, but actually began in Jan '04, when David Merrell became the first of the name to be tested.  Currently (March '12) there are 107 Merrills included in the project. Four major Y-DNA haplogroups are represented; most Merrills are R1b or G, with one each of J and T. So far we have identified seven unrelated, historical Merrill families, each with a distinctive DNA signature. In a few cases these are traceable as far back as the 1500's. About 20% of those tested have results which have not yet been identified with a specific Merrill ancestor.

To view the project results, click on the 'Y-DNA Results' tab above. The Merrill DNA Project incorporates results obtained from all public sources, but the Y-DNA Results on this site include only those with test results from FTDNA. Complete project results can be accessed at http://tinyurl.com/results18, and on the Yahoo forum site. Merrills with results from other testing companies are welcome. If you wish, you can transfer your results to FTDNA for a small fee. There are definite advantages to doing so, including matching your results against the full FTDNA database, as well as opportunities for further testing. 

A unique feature of the Merrill DNA project is the participation of co-Administrators Howard and Jean Merrill, the Merrill Genealogy Experts, at hjmerril@yahoo.com, who maintain a database of over 60,000 Merrills and Merrells, past and present, from the US and Canada. If you have questions about your ancestry, or have reached a 'brick wall' in your research, they can often help. They will search their database for your ancestors free of charge, asking only that you share your Merrill information with them.

Another co-Administrator, Deane Merrill, maintains a Merrill/Merrell Genealogy web site, http://genmerrill.com, focusing on the various Merrill families, with special emphasis on DNA testing and project results. There is also a Yahoo Merrill-DNA-Genealogy forum devoted to news, special announcements, and queries at http://tinyurl.com/merrillyahoo.

Members are encouraged not to limit their search to the surname period, but to explore their "deep ancestry" as well. It is best, however, to ask our advice before ordering any advanced tests, including the Deep Clade test, so we can make suggestions appropriate to your situation. Members who also have maternal-line (mtDNA) test results are encouraged to join the appropriate mtDNA haplogroup project.